General Discussion
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(22,359 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)RainCaster
(10,886 posts)rurallib
(62,426 posts)and drafting others to take your spot
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)the NFL is stupid to do this but that it is almost certainly legal other than perhaps has an issue with the players' union?
I have no problems with the players that kneel, or those who don't based on what their morals encourage them to do.
I actually find the habit of playing the anthem before sporting events to be frankly stupid. But when I'm at a Special Olympics meet as a coach, yes I put my hand over my heart. When I'm at an event as myself, I stand but don't put my hand over my heart and ponder how annoyingly long the singer is going to try to stretch out the end of the song.
I find the notion of paying respect to a flag in general rather silly. It's a piece of cloth. The ideals behind it I can appreciate it, but then why bother to insert the flag and not just talk about the ideals you have respect for?
ProfessorGAC
(65,078 posts)Except for the "if i'm there" thing. Perhaps it's a brainlock from the 70's when students didn't stand for the anthem before football or basketball games to show they were against Nixon and the war. Perhaps i've never gotten past that.
Taking it to an extreme, when they played it before a basketball game when i was in high school, i once or twice went to the corner beyond the bench and practiced dribbling. During the song. I got asked not to do it again, but didn't really get in trouble. The rest of those seasons, i just left the floor and went to the bathroom before the game started.
I'd probably still do that.
On your first point, i do agree that there is no legal issue but there is a potential players' union conflict. This is particularly true in professional sports where the player is not just the employee, but also the product.
One can run a business and not care about alienating employees, (not wise but doable), but nobody can alienate their own product. Nobody who makes convenience foods runs commercials to tell people how much better the food is if you cook it yourself. Nobody would run a car company, and then run ads to tell people the other manufacturers make better cars.
The NFL is alienating the players here, and that's a lot different than telling a normal employee "you don't like it? The door is there." They take the door, there is no business.
Cha
(297,323 posts)into the abyss. Hiding behind false patriotism.
sheshe2
(83,793 posts)give it time.
Cha
(297,323 posts)here, she..
Well, not too quiet.
I am not that quite either.
Cha
Cha
(297,323 posts)ever accuse you of that, she. lol
she
Amaryllis
(9,524 posts)sheshe2
(83,793 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,981 posts)Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)But there were other ways to avoid it, if your conscience was conflicted.
It does not take any conviction to lie about having bone spurs and then not even remember which foot was impacted. My Uncle had bone spurs and believe me, even after the surgeries, he NEVER forgot which foot they were on !!
Also, there were pictures of trump - at the time he was claiming bone spurs - where is he playing a rigorous game of tennis. You can barely walk with bone spurs on your feet, and you sure as Hell are NOT playing any freaking tennis.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,564 posts)As my father put it "If you can see lightning, hear thunder and have 2 teeth, you're in."
ExciteBike66
(2,358 posts)COs are great, but one need not be anti-war in order to dodge any particular conflict.
Certainly Trump lied about his own deformities, but I can't really fault him for dodging Vietnam. I of course can fault him for later supporting similar wars (or indeed any war).
Grokenstein
(5,725 posts)Bill Clinton, for example, avoided getting shipped off against his will to Vietnam, but publicly opposed the war (something which at the time was still potentially dangerous to one's political career and health). As president he backed military actions, but (aside from some fringe-loon rants one might read about him setting up a personal dictatorship in Haiti, seriously WTF) none were the sort of blatant occupations intended to enrich the already wealthy.
Li'l Dubby, Darth Cheney, Dan Quayle, Cadet Bonespurs McBowlingtrophy, Rushbo and countless others dodged the draft yet still openly adore the thought a nice long war of choice full of no-bid contracts for "friends."
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)i had an uncle who was drafted and went to Vietnam. my two uncles were as close as two men can be after that war
keithbvadu2
(36,829 posts)Non-citizens do not have to honor the flag.
I think It would be more than all hell breakin' loose. I cannot stand this bullshit any more!
Haggis for Breakfast
(6,831 posts)Spit take on the screen. Pepsi is so sticky.
Thanks for the post, Heartstrings.
BadgerMom
(2,771 posts)Spot. On.
Guilded Lilly
(5,591 posts)robbedvoter
(28,290 posts)Otherwise, well put
progressoid
(49,991 posts)NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)LakeArenal
(28,821 posts)DFW
(54,410 posts)Feel the Kneel
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)ExciteBike66
(2,358 posts)Draft dodging does not disrespect the flag, in my opinion.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)marieo1
(1,402 posts)I am proud of the NFL players that kneel!! No one else is even trying to stop the abuse of blacks, children, women, gays and the list goes on and on. At least these NFL players are calling attention to a situation in our country that needs to change. What does our flag stand for anyway? I believe it stands for equality, justice, safety of everyone regardless of color, race, gender, etc. - it stands for everyone in our country being safe, not just a select few. A simple way to stop the kneeling is for everyone of us to get on board and protest the injustices. I'm sure if the police brutality, mass shootings, abuse of blacks, women, children, etc stopped so would the kneeling. More power to the respected NFL players.
Sneederbunk
(14,291 posts)Oppaloopa
(867 posts)SunSeeker
(51,574 posts)Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)Enoki33
(1,587 posts)who tries to claim it is somehow unpatriotic to kneel is himself an established traitor who conspired with a foreign dictator for money to steal an election. He is therefore illegitimate, and not qualified to pass any sort of judgment.
Nitram
(22,822 posts)Only right wingers thought that. It was a stupid, illegal, and terribly destructive war. You can only accuse a draft dodger of disrespecting the flag if he goes on to lead the nation into more such wars.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Nitram
(22,822 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)It was just him being an entitled jerk.
LakeArenal
(28,821 posts)Nitram
(22,822 posts)Vietnam War.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)This meme is obviously directed at him.
Peaceful Protester
(280 posts)sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)You name the event. We go together and kneel shoulder to shoulder. Im in.
brooklynite
(94,602 posts)...is that the JWs and the Amish aren't public figures. Nobody knows what they don't do.